Books like 'Kiss of the Spindle'
Readers who enjoyed Kiss of the Spindle by Nancy Campbell Allen also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy paranormal young adult victorian steampunk suspense sweet-hero mystery werewolves
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Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
From Tamora Pierce, the first book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet, honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award.“From now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.” And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic... -
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally...Categorized as:
magic witches strong heroine mystery sassy heroine working class heroine sweet-hero contemporary -
Bridge of Ash by Jacquelyn Benson
England's deadliest secrets are at risk—and so is the man Lily is about to marry.As World War I rages across Europe, a military officer is brutally murdered in a remote English country house. Lord Strangford is the only suspect.To clear his name, Lily must unravel the secrets that surround the corpse...Categorized as:
mystery magic suspense m-f disabilities and marks strong heroine gifted heroine fantasy -
Rise by Andrea Cremer
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe sequel to Rift and the prequel to the New York Times bestselling novel Nightshade . Everything Conatus stands for is at risk. Hoping to gather enough resistance to save their order, Ember and Barrow attempt a desperate escape. But fate offers little mercy... -
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Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg
Dead wizards, stolen enchantments, and broken promises force a young spellbreaker out of the shadows in the next thrilling installment of the Spellbreaker series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.England, 1895. An unsolved series of magician murders and opus thefts isn’t a puzzle to Elsie Camden...Categorized as:
magic mystery victorian witches disabilities and marks third-person-pov dual-pov suspense -
The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas
After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in...Categorized as:
mystery witches strong heroine magic sweet-hero gifted heroine forced proximity male-pov -
Moseh's Staff by A.W. Exley
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAll things must come to an end... London is in the frozen grip of an unnatural winter and Queen Victoria wants answers. Cara and Nate know who - the Curator. The queen's artifact hunters just don't know what is responsible. Cara is on the trail of an ancient and powerful artifact capable of freezing a city and stirring demons. First she must confront her past and her father's history... -
The Watery Grave by Helen Goltz
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMiss Phoebe Astin is quite accustomed to speaking with spirits as they leave this life on their way to the next. As the mortician at The Economic Undertaker, Phoebe and her brothers, Julius and Ambrose, find themselves inundated with victims from a ferry disaster on the river... -
Moonstruck by Nicole McKeon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGwenevere St. James may be a lady, but she’s never been interested in playing by the rules. Instead of ingratiating herself into high society, she spent a decade searching the world and studying the occult for a way to find her lost twin sister... -
Dragon Class by Melanie Ansley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA lowborn thief. A priceless dragon. A bond that could change an empire.The first book in an epic dragonrider series from award-winning author Melanie Ansley.Jin is a hardened pickpocket surviving the underbelly of Tang China, until a single heist changes everything... -
Of Fate and Phantoms by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAs Charlie and Lincoln’s lives settle into a harmonious pattern, a new threat arises that could have far reaching effects for the royal family and Lincoln’s parents. When a seer warns the Prince of Wales that his life is in danger, only Charlie and Lincoln take her seriously... -
Exile for Dreamers by Kathleen Baldwin
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsTess can't run far enough or fast enough to escape the prophetic dreams that haunt her. Dreams bring nothing but death and grief, and Tess refuses to accept that she may be destined for the same madness that destroyed her mother... -
Whisper the Dead by Alyxandra Harvey
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsCousins Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope are all dealing with what it means to be a Lovegrove. For Gretchen, it means she often feels like her head is going to explode. As a Whisperer, Gretchen constantly hears the whispers of other witches' spells... -
The Deepest Night by Shana Abe
A rich portrait of post-Victorian England, The Deepest Night seamlessly blends thrilling romance with riveting history and adventure—perfect for fans of Libba Bray and Lauren Kate. It’s 1915, and sixteen-year-old Lora Jones is finishing up her first year as a charity student at Iverson, a prestigious, gothic boarding school on England’s southern coast... -
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The King’s Beast, Vol. 3 by Rei Tōma
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRangetsu hasn’t given up on vengeance, but nothing about the imperial palace is simple... -
Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Vol. 5 by Yū Tomofuji
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHaving successfully entertained the true Duke Galoa, Sariphi has triumphed in the trials concocted to test her capacity to be Queen. However, her success has infuriated Chancellor Anubis. As Sariphi searches for a book alone in the library, Anubis approaches her.. -
Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Vol. 4 by Yū Tomofuji
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSariphi is confronted with a new challenge to prove herself worthy of becoming Queen--to welcome the mysterious Duke Galoa on his visit to the palace. But the Duke is rumored to be a fearsome warrior with an ever-burning hatred of all things human... -
Punished by Kira Saito
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDown in New Orleans, Arelia Larue’s once ordinary life has quickly transformed into something truly extraordinary. As her ability to communicate and work with Les Mysteries (spirits) grows, so does her attraction for Darkwood’s secretive owner Lucus LaPlante... -
A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers
In this spectacularly imaginative and ghoulishly fun Gothic murder mystery brimming with romance, betrayals, and chills, a fake spiritualist is summoned to hold a séance for a bride who died on the eve before her wedding, but as nefarious secrets are revealed, the line between hoax and haunting blurs.Be careful what you conjure.. -
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
From the New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens comes an imaginative fantasy about an apprentice at a magical library who must battle a powerful sorcerer to save her kingdom.All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything... -
First Command: A TIDES Novella by Alex Lidell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMaster and Commander meets Sarah J. Maas in a seafaring adventure of duty, love, magic, and a princess’ quest to protect her kingdom on her own terms.Born to privilege, called to service, trained for command, 17-year-old Lieutenant Nile Greysik finally gets the chance to prove herself a leader... -
Spellbound by Nicole McKeon
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGetting all she's ever wanted may cost her everything.After years of searching, Lady Gwen finally has a chance to find her missing sister and heal her wounded heart. All she must do is work a dangerous spell that punches a hole through the wall separating the mortal world from the Sunset Lands... -
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn...Categorized as:
magic mystery forced proximity slow burn third-person-pov fantasy young adult high fantasy -
Curiouser and Curiouser by Melanie Karsak
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTo save the Hatter, Alice must work with the one man she despises so much that she might still love him. Alice thought she’d turned over a new leaf. No more working for Jabberwocky. No more making deals with the ruthless Queen of Hearts. No more hanging around The Mushroom with tinkers, tarts, scoundrels, and thieves in London's criminal underbelly. But she’d been bonkers to dream... -
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My Sister Took My Fiance and Now I'm Being Courted by a Beastly Prince (Manga) Vol. 1 (妹に婚約者を取られたら、獣な王子に求婚されました~またたびとして溺愛されてます~ (Comic) #1) by Kiduki Hoshikawa, Yū Sakurai
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsCordelia, daughter of a countess, can't seem to get married--mostly because her little sister Priscilla keeps stealing the hearts of her suitors...Categorized as:
magic strong heroine shapeshifters fantasy historical young adult plain heroine paranormal -
Kinship by Carina Wilder
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe story continues as Gwynne is torn between joy and conflict, war and love. The two alphas' animosity must be resolved if the clan is to survive, and Gwynne must learn to fulfill the fate that's been thrust upon her... -
These Bitter Blooms by Emma Hamm
In a world where magic means power, a "small" gift is a curse. Thea was not blessed with power. Her gift of devouring plants and absorbing their hidden abilities does not make her stand out among her peers. Until a young man from the other side of the river sees something in her that no one else has seen before. When his family mercilessly strikes at her pride, he makes a point to ease the sting... -
Beneath Black Sails by Clare Sager
Sometimes it takes a pirate to catch a pirate.With weather magic on her side, Lady Vice is the bane of the high seas, but she isn’t captain of her own ship. Yet. If she can persuade her captain to give her a command, she’ll be in charge of her own fate.To pay off his family’s debts, Knigh Blackwood hunts pirates for the Royal Navy. And he’s damn good at it... -
Once Upon A Time by Demelza Carlton
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsalternate cover edition of ASIN B08PCTZNDYA sword-wielding Cinderella. An enchanting Beauty... -
Revel: Twelve Dancing Princesses Retold by Demelza Carlton
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTwelve princesses. One wounded soldier. A mystery that must be solved.Once upon a time...Princess Bianca is sent with her sisters to the summer palace, a place no maiden has ever returned from. While her sisters seem perfectly happy, she has only one desire: escape... -
Vampire Game, Volume 01 by JUDAL
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsOne Century ago the king of Saint Pheliosta, and the Vampire King, Duzell, had a monumental duel. Duzell was defeated and cursed Phelios that they would fight again in their next re-incarnation, a century later. 99 and 1/2 years later, Duzell has been reborn as a wildcat and rescued from the wild by Ishtar, the great-granddaughter of his nemesis, Phelios... -
Wit'ch Fire by James Clemens
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFrom a brilliant new voice in fantasy comes a band of heroes, a world in peril, and an unforgettable heroine whose unexpected gift of magic awakens an ancient, slumbering evil.On a fateful night five centuries ago, three made a desperate last stand, sacrificing everything to preserve the only hope of goodness in the beautiful, doomed land of Alasea... -
The Ice People 5 - Friendship by Margit Sandemo
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsThe Ice People 5 - Friendship, now in new translation. The Legend of the Ice People series has already captivated 39 million readers across Europe. This is Europe in 1625. The Thirty Years’ War is raging and many of the young men among the Ice People are also involved in it... -
Poison by Bridget Zinn
Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend. But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses... -
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The Crowded Shadows by Celine Kiernan
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsMerron glossary as audio New Friends. Old Enemies. Who can you trust? Wynter Moorehawke travels alone and unprotected in bandit-infested forests, searching for the rebel Prince Alberon. But many enemies are lurking in the shadows. It seems that every tyrant and zealot who has ever threatened the Kingdom is sending emissaries to meet Alberon... -
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
Judy I. Lin's sweeping debut A Magic Steeped in Poison, first in a duology, is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, "These are the hands that buried my mother."For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault... -
Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea and The House of the Spirits, an enthralling and suspenseful coming-of-age story about a teenage girl who must unravel the mysteries of her past in order to save herself... -
Both Sides of Time by Caroline B. Cooney
Imagine changing centuries--and making things worse, not better, on both sides of time. Imagine being involved in two love triangles in two different centuries. What if, no matter which direction you travel in time, you must abandon someone you love? Meet 15-year-old Annie Lockwood, a romantic living in the wrong century... -
The Unfailing Light by Robin Bridges
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHaving had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive... -
The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni
Rated: 3.84 of 5 stars · 25 ratings17-year-old Verity Boone expects a warm homecoming when she returns to Catawissa, Pennsylvania, in 1867, pledged to marry a man she has never met. Instead, she finds a father she barely knows and a future husband with whom she apparently has nothing in common. One truly horrifying surprise awaits her: the graves of her mother and aunt are enclosed in iron cages outside the local cemetery... -
Haunting Secrets by Marie Higgins
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsVictoria Fawson desperately needs answers about her father’s death. When she visits the Maitland Manor to discover those answers, she finds only secrets…haunting secrets that leave her wondering who she can trust. Should she trust her feelings for the one man who hides from the world—the man who might put her in danger? Justin Maitland hasn’t been human for over a year... -
Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long
A stormsinger and pirate hunter join forces against a deathless pirate lord in this swashbuckling Jacobean adventure on the high-seas.Launching the Winter Sea series, full of magic, betrayal, redemption and fearsome women, for readers of Adrienne Young, R. J. Barker and Naomi Novik.Mary Firth is a Stormsinger: a woman whose voice can still hurricanes and shatter armadas... -
In the Shadows by Kiersten White, Jim Di Bartolo
Rated: 3.76 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsFrom the remarkable imagination of acclaimed artist Jim Di Bartolo and the exquisite pen of bestselling author Kiersten White comes a spellbinding story of love, mystery, and dark conspiracy, told in an alternating narrative of words and pictures. Cora and Minnie are sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house... -
Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
Enna and Princess Isi became fast friends in The Goose Girl, but after Isi married Prince Geric, Enna returned to the forest. Enna's simple life changes forever when she learns to wield fire and burn anything at will...Categorized as:
magic abduction gifted heroine working class heroine witches caretaking military third-person-pov -
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The Visitors by Rebecca Mascull
Rated: 3.66 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsImagine if you couldn't seecouldn't hearcouldn't speak...Then one day somebody took your hand and opened up the world to you.Adeliza Golding is a deafblind girl, born in late Victorian England on her father's hop farm... -
A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart
Rated: 3.71 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsJohn and Margaret Begbie are picnicking with their parents in the Black Forest when they are mysteriously spirited back through time into the Middle Ages. There they meet Mardian, one-time servant and closest friend of Duke Otho, ruler of the country. He tells them a terrible secret - he is under the enchantment of the evil sorcerer Almeric, and is forced to assume a wolf's shape every night...Categorized as:
magic werewolves mystery shapeshifters young adult fantasy historical legends & fairy tales -
The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsThe year is 1878, and Sally Lockhart has started her own financial consulting business. When a client loses a fortune in the unexpected collapse of a British shipping firm, Sally is determined to find out why. But as she comes closer to learning the identity of the firm's elusive owner, she discovers that her questions are far from simple --and that the answers could cost her her life... -
Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 24 ratings“Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind... -
Venom by Fiona Paul
Rated: 3.74 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsCassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape... -
The Morning Star by Robin Bridges
Rated: 3.61 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSt. Petersburg, Russia, 1890 Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, wants to be known as a doctor, not a necromancer. But Tsar Alexander III forbids women to attend medical school; his interest in Katerina extends only to her ability to raise the dead...
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